Rubber heel



8. DE GRAZIA.

RUBBER HEEL.

APPLICATION FILED OCT-22, 1920.

' v 1,398,631 Patented Nov. 29, 1921. FIG. 1

INVENTOR.

financed D0 Graflzl'gp A ORNEY.

SAMUEL DE GRAZIA, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

RUBBER HEEL.

Specification of Letters Patent. .Patented Ng 29 1921 Application filed October 22, 1920. Serial No. 418,679.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL DE GRAZIA, a subject of the King of Italy, residing at \Vashington, in the District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Im provements in Rubber Heels, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in rubber heels for boots and shoes. In devices of this kind as usually constructed, metal washers are embedded within the body of the heel so as to form an abutment for the head of the nails used in securing the heel to the shoe. It is found in practice, however, that these washers frequently cut through the rubber body of the heel and destroy the latter.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a form of rubber or cushion heel in which the metallic washers are dispensed with without sacrificing the durability of the article.

Further objects of the invention are generally to improve and simplify the construction of rubber heels as well as to decrease the expense attending their manufacture and to render them more durable in use.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed and without sacrificing any of its advantages.

In the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification and wherein like reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views,

Figure 1-is a fragmentary View of a por tion of a shoe provided with a heel constructed in accordance with the present invention, the heel being shown partly in section and partly in elevation,

Fig. 2 is a top plan View of the insert of the heel,

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view thereof and taken upon line III-III of Fig. 2,

Fig. 4 is a bottomplan view of the heel shown in Fig. 1,

Fig. 5 is a view somewhat similar to Fig.

.1 showing a m dified emb d ment of the invention as employed with and Fig. 6 is a top plan view of the insert employed in the heel of Fig. 5.

The heel of the present invention consists of a rubber body portion with an insert preferably of leather embedded therein, the insert being nearer to the upper side of the heel than the lower side thereof and being entlrely covered by the body portion except at 1ts marginal edge so as to give the appearance of a separate leather lever or lift, the heel being provided with nail holes which preferably extend through the outer or thicker portion of the rubber body and terminate at the outer surface of the insert.

Referring more in detail to the drawing, the reference numeral 5 indicates the body portion of the heel, said body portion being preferably formed of resilient rubber and having embedded therein an insert or reinforcement 6 formed preferably of leather. The insert 6 is preferably in the form of a plate corresponding in shape and size to the body 5 in plan and having a large central womens shoes,

. opening 7 as well as numerous smaller openings or perforations 8 so as to allow the resilient rubber to flow through and firmly anchor the insert to the body portion for making the two practically a homogeneous structure. It has heretofore been proposed to construct heels substantially the same as thus far described, but the resultant article was found to beof insuflicient durability to withstand the strains and wear and tear incident to its use because of the fact that separation of the body portion from the insert took place in a very short time. In order to guard against this objectionable feature and to provide a heel which will meet with all of the requirements for a successful commercial use, I bevel the upper surface of the insert 6 inwardly as at 9 so as to form the insert of tapered shape in cross section as shown in Fig. 3 with the thinner edge of the insert forming the wall of the opening 7. The insert 6 may thus be considered a belt like member with a concavo spherical upper surface. This concaving of the upper surface of the insert 6 permits the rubber of the body portion 5to flow onto the upper surface of said insert as indicated at 10 in Fig. 1 and to unite with the rubber which extends through the openings 8, thereby firmly retaining the insert against detachment. The portion 10 of the body portion 5 is of tapered form and has its upper surface perfectly flat and in the same horiontal plane with the highest portion of the insert 6 so as to provide a continuous contact between the heel and the usual strip 11 of .the shoe 12.

As shown particularly in Fig. 1, the coating of resilient rubber is very much thicker on the underside of the insert than on the upper side thereof. The nail holes 13 through which the usual nails 14 are inserted extend through the thick end portion of the resilient rubber body and preferably terminate at the outer or under face of the insert, the nails 14 being driven through the insert and the portion 10 into the member 11 in the usual way for securing the heel to the shoe. It is to be understood that the insert may be made of hard rubber or other semi-flexible material having wear and strain resisting qualities of leather and capable of being used without interfering with the action of the heel or presenting such unyielding resistance as would cause it to wear through in the same manner as the metallic washers. The resilient rubber portion and the insert are vulcanized so as to form in effect a unitary heel.

If desired the body portion 5 may be formed with a continuous marginal rib 15 on its tread surface for anti-slipping purposes with the nail holes 13 extending therethrough as shown clearly in Figs. 1 and 4.-

It is found in practice that the heel of the present invention is strong, simple, durable and inexpensive in construction as well as thoroughly efficient and practical in use and provides a finished appearance for the shoe with which it is used. The'modified construction of heel shown in Figs. 5 and 6 is substantially the same as the form shown in Figs. 1 to 1 inclusive with the exception that the body portion 5' is not provided with a rib upon its tread surface and is specifically formed of such'size and shape to be practically employed upon such small heels as are commonly found upon womens foot wear. This form of the invention provides the nail. holes 13 for the nails 14', andthe insert 6 embedded in the bodyportion 5'. The insert 6 is provided with the centralopening 7 and perforations 8' similar to the insert of Figs. 2 and 3.

What is claimed as new is 1. A cushion shoe heel comprising a nail holding insert in the form of a leather plate of the thickness, of a lift at'its margin and having a concavity in its'upper face, said plate being provided with a central opening, and a rubber body in which the insert is inclosed completely with the exception of its marginal edge, the rubberbody extending through the opening of the insert and filling the concavity of-the latter, the upper surface of the body being in the same plane as the highest marginal portion of the insert, whereby the insert has the appearance of an upper leather lift when the heel is in use.

2. A cushion shoe heel comprising a nail holding insert in the form of a leather plate of the thickness of a lift at its margin and having a concavity in its upper face, said insert having a relatively large central opening, and a rubber body in which the insert is inclosed completely with the exception of its marginal edge, the rubber body extending throughthe central opening of the insert;

and filling the concavity of the'latter, the

upper surface of the body being in the same plane as the highest portion of the insert, whereby the insert has the appearance of an upper leather lift when the heel is in use, said insert being provided with numerous relatively small perforations entirely around the central opening thereof and through which the rubber of the body passes for integrally uniting the portions of said body which con- 1 tact the upper and lower faces of the insert. In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

SAMUEL DE GRAZIA. 

